Daily Maverick
Dailymaverick logo

Africa

Africa

Namibia's election chaos: Technical failures and ballot shortages spark outrage among voters and parties

Namibia's election chaos: Technical failures and ballot shortages spark outrage among voters and parties
An election official applies ink on a voter's finger as a proof of casting a vote, at a polling station, during the presidential and parliamentary elections in Khomas region, Namibia, 27 November 2024. EPA-EFE/STR
Ernst Calitz
By Ernst Calitz
28 Nov 2024
Facebook
4
The elections in Namibia on Wednesday have left many feeling angry and distrustful because of long queues, missing ballots and possible legal action. This has led to some opposition parties already threatening to not accept the outcome of the poll.

They were billed as Namibia’s most contentious elections to date, with more than 1.4 million Namibians registering to vote – and they are living up to expectations. Several political parties have now indicated they will challenge the validity of the poll. 

The presidential and National Assembly elections on Wednesday, 27 November 2024, were marred by a series of technical malfunctions and dwindling ballot papers, forcing scores of voters to queue for hours, some the whole day, under the blistering sun. 

In the morning many voters remained upbeat, but voter sentiment soured as the day progressed. 

Read more: Namibian voters in good spirits despite pre-election woes, swirling disinformation

Compromising delays


Voting in Namibia. An election official in the Khomas region of Namibia applies ink to a voter’s finger to show they have cast their vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections on 27 November 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / STR)



Political parties expressed anger after the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) experienced sporadic shortages of ballot papers across the country on Wednesday.

Some polling stations were also forced to open late throughout the day owing to technical malfunctions and a lack of election materials.

Hundreds of voters at Aris, south of Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, were informed that they would be able to vote from noon, but were left waiting for hours.

The ECN had allegedly run out of ballot papers at another point in the area, causing a knock-on delay at the mobile voting station in Aris. 

Voters were hesitant to speak to the media on record, but they mentioned that voting had not started until late into the afternoon – leaving some stranded in the area. 

When Daily Maverick arrived on the scene at around 3pm, voters were scattered, seeking shelter in the shade. No ECN officials were in sight.

Aris was not an isolated case. Ballot paper shortages were reported across the country.

Voters at a polling station in Finkenstein – about 20 minutes outside Windhoek – were left waiting for more ballot papers for hours. The ballots reportedly ran out at around 5pm, but no new ballot papers had arrived by 9pm and tensions were running high.

“By 9 o’clock, close it [the polling station], if the ballot papers are not here.” A frustrated resident told the polling station’s presiding officer.

Other polling stations across the country experienced similar shortcomings.

Peter Shaama, ECN’s chief electoral and referendum officer, issued a directive to keep all polling stations open after the initial 9pm cut-off time, allowing voters to still join the queue. The directive came after backlash from community members and opposition parties, but many questioned its effectiveness.

“This arrangement is necessary to enable returning officers to make necessary arrangements with regards to borrowing the ballot papers from polling teams in excess of the ballot papers and to attend to eligible voters already in the queue,” the directive read.

As of filing this piece on Thursday morning, Daily Maverick understands that some polling stations are still reportedly open.

Opposition backlash


Lawyers for the Independent Patriots for Change sent a letter of demand to ECN chair Elsie Nghikembua, accusing the ECN of denying voters’ their constitutional right to vote.

“Kindly be advised that your wrongful and unlawful actions deny registered voters their constitutional right to vote and you are notified of our clients’ intention to take appropriate legal action in a competent forum for appropriate relief, as well as a punitive cost order against you,” the letter said.

Other opposition parties have followed suit, challenging the validity of the elections. 

McHenry Venaani, the leader of Namibia’s official opposition party, the Popular Democratic Movement, invited the media to an emergency briefing at the party’s headquarters late on Wednesday night.

“It is raising red flags to us that the ECN is in collusion with the ruling party Swapo,” Venaani said .

Venaani added that the ECN was trying to suppress voting in areas where voters might vote against Swapo.

“All these matters of ballot papers not being enough, are just clear-cut systemic tactics to suppress voters and voters’ interests,” he said

“What they are doing; it’s the same template that Zanu-PF are doing in Zimbabwe – you suppress areas where it is perceived that the opposition might be voted for. They just suppress the voters, they just frustrate them, and they don’t let them cast their votes,” he said.

Read more: Opposition leader questions SADC observer mission ahead of crucial Namibian poll

Venaani also warned that “when injustice becomes law, resistance will become a duty to us”.

Henk Mudge, leader of the Republican Party of Namibia, said he would work with other opposition parties to declare the presidential and National Assembly elections as invalid. 

“We declare that we will not accept the results … we will work together with the other opposition parties to have this called null and void,” he added.

Mudge said the ECN had failed to host a free and fair election. “As far as we are concerned, the ECN has no integrity and cannot be trusted.”

The Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters and Affirmative Repositioning parties have also called the election into question.

A lack of transparency


The ECN has largely failed to respond to the concerns raised by political parties, the community and the media.  It has twice cancelled press briefings moments before they were scheduled to start. 

A scuffle broke out the day before the elections after the ECN continued to issue original voter cards to voters at its headquarters in Windhoek, after an alleged glitch allocated the same voter number to multiple voters. 

Namibian journalist Otto Gotlieb said the concerns were valid. 

The decision contravened a resolution by the Political Liaison Committee that voter cards could only be issued through constituency offices, not from ECN headquarters.

Gotlieb questioned how the voters knew that they needed to be issued new voter cards.

The ECN was asked how it contacted these voters, but it did not respond.

The ECN called another press conference towards the end of the voting day, but cancelled at the last minute. It was, however, discovered that the referendum officer had a conversation with Namibia’s public broadcaster, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation.

“There’s quite a lot of sketchy stuff going on, and obviously as journalists our responsibility is to objectively report on what’s going on during the elections. But when the electoral body cannot maintain good communication with the press it raises concerns as to what exactly is happening,” Gotlieb said.

The ECN has invited all contesting political parties to a meeting at its headquarters to provide an update on the post-election processes.

This is a developing story. DM

Categories:

Tags: